Viva diva

EVEN Beyonce Knowles can be insecure about her look. Enter makeup artist Francesca Tolot, who was requested by the singer-slash-actress to create her multitude of looks in “Dreamgirls.” Tolot, whose work also graced Kim Basinger in “L.A. Confidential,” has glammed up nearly all of Knowles’ appearances lately, including off-screen. Other clients include Catherine Zeta-Jones and Faith Hill.

What was the hardest part about “Dreamgirls”?

In the beginning, Beyonce’s supposed to be 16, very naive and know nothing about fashion. So ... I had practically no makeup on her, only some mascara, and she was still just piercing through the screen. Everyone was gasping at how beautiful she looked, and I thought, “What are we going to do?” Then I took off even the bit of mascara, and gave her thicker eyebrows. That helped some.

Should beauty buffs be watching for any particularly extraordinary scenes in the movie?

The disco look, when they sing “One Night Only,” reads great on camera. It was a really unique look because I drew as if I was using eye shadow, but instead I used different colored glitters. Her whole face just sparkles.

What are some trends we’ll see this season?

We’ll be seeing more colorful lips, toward the reds and warm tones. And lashes, lots of lashes! The eyes themselves will vary -- some stronger eyes with lighter lips, or lighter eyes with redder lips -- but in both cases, lashes will be important. A huge trend right now is lash extensions. It completely changes your look.

What should awards-goers never leave home without?

Things get exciting and sweating is something you can’t control, so powder is the most important thing. La Mer pressed powder is great, very satiny.

Any secrets for avoiding smearing and rub-off?

Use an Evian mister when you’re done applying makeup. Just a very fine mist, let it dry and set in, and that’ll set the makeup to hold better throughout the night.